Valentine
by Selena
Summary: Emma Frost doesn't do Valentine's Day. That's her story, and she's sticking to it. Astonishing XMenverse, no spoilers beyond the basic set up.


**Disclaimer: **All is Marvel's, nothing is mine.

**Thanks to:** Resolute, for beta-reading.

**Spoiler:** Nothing beyond the basic _Astonishing X-Men_ set-up.

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**Valentine**

Emma Frost does not do Valentine's Day. It's an invention by florist and Hallmark, and since she doesn't hold shares in the relevant companies, she doesn't care.

That's her story, and she's sticking to it.

Since she has no intention of honoring the holiday, she most certainly does not wonder whether Scott will. She is sure Scott and Jean never missed a Valentine's Day since the time they were teenagers at Xavier's, and inviting comparisons would be betraying an insecurity she feels she has dealt with by now. If Scott should, by any chance, give her something – a card, flowers, or perhaps a funny email designed to make her laugh between grading papers, because that would be the Scott thing to do – she will act surprised, amused, and grateful. She will have a clever remark at hand, which shouldn't be a problem, she's good with improvising these kind of things, and she might reveal she has booked a table at a restaurant which has reasonable good food and, more importantly, an Easy Rider theme, with photos of Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda on their motorcycles on the walls. She'll look completely out of place there in her white evening dress and she'll be completely happy teasing Scott about the fact he will to tell her the model of each motorcycle, brand name, year of construction, all of it.

On the other hand, it's far more likely that the table will remain empty. It's not that Scott won't remember, because Scott is good about dates, good enough for it to be a curse. Look in his mind, and you'll find the knowledge of the exact day he met Charles Xavier, the day he first saw Jean, the day Xavier told him he was special, the day he left Lee, the day he left Madelyne.

For some reason, he does not remember the day or even month of the first time Emma kissed him, either dressed up as Jean in his mind or in actual physical fact. But he does remember the day and night they spent in Hongkong, long before that, just talking about everything and nothing without ever touching once, the way her dress was crumbled and the songs she said she liked. She knows this because she caught the memory, just recently, when he looked at her while she did her best not to explode while some reporter rang her up to get a tell-all on her affair with Tony Stark "in light of recent events".

No, Scott will have remembered the date in time. He won't do anything, though. At least Emma is reasonably sure he won't. Not because he feels he's still betraying Jean, but because he'll see it as something Emma doesn't want. He'll have doubts about this during the entire day, however, and will at last consult Hank because he believes Hank to be the X-Man with the best handle on Emma, and Hank will tell him not to be foolish. Which won't be a help at all, but Hank will refuse to elaborate. So Scott will drive out to Westchester and get her something, her favourite perfume, perhaps, or the first _Prime Suspect_ on dvd because he knows she's a fan despite pretending not to have used her telepathy to make Helen Mirren sign her an autograph the one time she met the woman at a party, and then made her forget about it in the next moment. By then it will be too late for dinner in Westchester, of course, but what use is being rich if you can't book a table in various restaurants across various time zones in America and tell your company's jet to take you there?

Actually, the question as to whether or not Scott will do anything will in all likelihood turn out to be irrelevant. Because it is nearly Valentine's Day and she already has a headache from all the hormonal teenagers around her working themselves into a frenzy of embarrassment, angst and desire. The day itself will probably make her walk around in diamond form the entire time so she won't have to read anyone's thoughts. Besides, another crisis is due to arrive, which it undoubtedly will the very moment she or Scott will find the leisure to talk to each other. So there is really no need to be prepared for anything, beyond a battle to the death or two, and possibly Senator Kelley turning out to be Scott's father's illegitimate love child by Mystique.

They'll deal with the crisis, they'll fight, perhaps not even with each other, and then, in the early morning hours, when they'll be back and in their bed, too tired for sex, too wired and awake from what happened to go to sleep, they'll watch some Japanese cartoons which for some reason are always on tv between 3 and 6 am. They'll think of Hongkong, and he'll smile at her. She won't say anything, just put her hand on his cheek, feeling his stubble scratching her chin, and then, around five, she'll finally be able to go to sleep. She won't dream of Genosha once, and when she wakes up again, not later than half past seven because that is the way things are at a school, they'll make love, unhurried and at peace.

Emma Frost doesn't do Valentine's Day. But sometimes, the habits she does not have find a way to catch her.


End file.
